There is an old saying, “You are what you eat.”. I find this saying to be so true. I personally can tell if I am eating in a way to care for my body. If I eat luscious foods like berries and citrus, leafy greens, lean meat, and grains I run on full energy. If I indulge in cookies, chips, white bread, or a fatty steak, I feel the inflammation in my body.
In the past, I had an “off” day where I ate a big hamburger with a side of fries for dinner. It was about one hour later when I felt bloated and tired. I laid around like a slug and didn’t get the laundry done that was sorted and piled up on the floor to complete. My body was struggling to be energetic. I was what I ate.
I have been sober for six years now. I never drink alcohol because I don’t want to fall back into the 4:30 bottle of wine syndrome. The syndrome that ends up with me pouring out 750mls of sweet wine into a glass and getting nothing done. I also rarely drink a soda, sweet tea, or other sugary drinks. My body just doesn’t process sugar well and it drags me down after a sugar crash. I was what I drank.
I have always been a person that needs at least 8-9 hours of sleep a night. I suffered from insomnia for several years. I would toss and turn all night long. I would only have short periods of sleep for 45 minutes to an hour at a time. This sleep pattern started as a result of constant anxiety. I would wake up as if I was a zombie. I would blunder through the day unfocused, tired, and foggy. I was how I slept.
I didn’t like the way I was living; what I ate, drank, and slept. I remembered the Scripture about my body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your body is a house of God where the Holy Spirit lives? God gave you His Holy Spirit. Now you belong to God. You do not belong to yourselves. God bought you with a great price. So honor God with your body. You belong to Him.
I read this Scripture over and over. So honor God with your body. You belong to Him.
I belong to Him, honor Him. I have been obese, an alcoholic, lazy, and sick. All of these descriptions came from me honoring me and what I wanted. None of these honored God.
There is so much science that proves that caring for your body offers you less mental stress, less illness, and better sleep patterns. I know many people need the science to change, but I only needed the Scriptures.
1 Corinthians 3:17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
This verse talks about God’s temple and community in the church. Although it references a physical temple building, we are all walking temples that need to be holy and righteous. Caring for ourselves and His word through our treatment of our bodies. A temple building needs maintenance and care. It needs the foundation watered so it doesn’t settle and crack. It needs repair and corrections immediately and not left undone for deterioration. We need the same maintenance, health checkup, devoted time for prayer, serving others in need, exercising, eating a nutritious diet. This is how we keep our temple sound and righteous.
Romans 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
What does it mean when Paul says to be a living sacrifice and do not conform to this world? Animals were sacrificed as atonement and as an offering to God. We have many ways of offering ourselves to God as a sacrifice. The first way of course is by living a righteous life. We do this by being in the Bible as we enrich our hearts and minds to God’s Word. The other way Paul is telling us to honor God is by not conforming to the world’s beliefs. Do not drink to excess, do not offer your body to many people for pleasure over God’s purpose for sex, and be honest and truthful. There are many things we may be enticed and tempted to do with our bodies because it feels good or may alleviate pain or trauma. We should deal with anything we are tempted with by going first to God and asking Him to help us. Simple prayer can change your heart.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
One of the greatest gifts that God offers us is that even when we fall down by overeating, drinking too much, or by not honoring our bodies as God’s temple is His gift to make us new. If today is a day that you may not be proud of what you’ve done or who you have become, turn to God. Let Him refresh your temple and start anew. You may do this by eating healthy, nutritious foods, putting down that wine or beer, taking a brisk walk, and opening up the Bible. Breathe in the goodness of being a temple that honors God. Care for His temple that you are and rejoice.
May God bless you on this day. My love and gratitude-LoLo
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